Annenberg Property Group To Develop Hermanus Medical Village
An ever-increasing population in the Hermanus and surrounding Overberg areas and high demand for quality medical facilities has prompted Annenberg Property Group to develop a multi-disciplinary, state-of-the art medical centre in Hermanus which will be known as Hermanus Medical Village.
The medical facility will cater for communities in the greater Overberg area including Hermanus, Onrus, Caledon, Barrydale and Swellendam through to Heidelberg and Bredasdorp.
Says Dudley Annenberg, MD of Annenberg Property Group: “Opening in January 2017, Hermanus Medical Village brings a comprehensive range of cutting edge medical facilities to this rapidly expanding node. Situated in De Goede Street in close proximity to the provincial hospital and Mediclinic, this brand new development will include the three-theatre, 22-bed Hermanus Day Hospital, Hermanus Oncology Centre, Spescare – a 20-bed sub-acute facility and Hermanus Elderly Care Place frail care facility”.
“The day hospital concept has grown exponentially in the health sector as it offers a cost effective facility to perform operations that do not require the patient to stay overnight.”
Typical operations that are performed at a day hospital are general surgery, ophthalmology, gynaecology, urology, orthopaedic, maxillofacial, plastic surgery, ENT (ear, nose and throat) and dental.
Comments Brian Evans, CEO of Hermanus Day Hospital: “Hermanus has a large population who require medical facilities and many patients have had to travel distances for certain procedures. Our day hospital will be a doctor driven facility and by inviting all the local doctors to participate in this venture, we will ensure that we acquire the latest technology to enable us to provide medical care of the highest quality.”
Annenberg says in addition, given the uniqueness of the town of Hermanus with its scenic coastline, whale watching attractions and tranquil ambience, Hermanus Medical Village has the potential to be marketed overseas as a medical safari destination. “For example, at the current exchange rate someone from the UK could afford to fly to South Africa and have plastic surgery at Hermanus Day Hospital for less than it will cost in their own country”.
“The Overstrand Municipality insisted that we include an oncology centre, so Hermanus Medical Village will also include Hermanus Oncology Centre which will be headed up by Dr John Duminy who hails from Klerksdorp Wilmed Park Hospital, where he was head of the branch of Doctors Alberts, Bouwer and Jordaan Inc for the past 10 years.”
Says Dr Duminy: “Previously, people residing in these areas would need to travel to Cape Town or Somerset West for oncology treatment, with the only other oncology facility in the region being even further afield in George on the Garden Route. In fact, our research has shown that a third of the patients at Somerset West’s oncology centre are from this region”.
“In Swellendam, at the practice of Doctors Boshoff & Partners a premise has been obtained to start a peripheral outreach clinic to extend the services of Hermanus Oncology Centre to the community and all the surrounding towns. This will include appointments for newly diagnosed cancer patients as well as follow-ups. In this way we will have a facility where we bring a chemotherapy service to the community instead of their having to drive lengthy distances to the nearest oncology centre.”
Dr Duminy obtained his MB.ChB in 1995 and Masters of Medicine in Radiation Oncology in 2004, both from the University of the Free State, prior to which he obtained the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Potchefstroom University in 1988.
With vast experience in clinical oncology Dr Duminy treats his patients with chemotherapy as well as radiation therapy in a radical as well as palliative setup. He has done over 400 low dose rate brachytherapy cases for prostate cancer where radio-active iodine seeds are implanted into the prostate gland.
Says Annenberg: “As an additional service offered to oncology patients, five rooms will provide on-site accommodation should they wish to stay overnight in private suites”.
“Supporting both the day hospital and oncology centre as well as serving the greater Overstrand area is Spescare, a 20-bed sub-acute facility offering a comprehensive range of specialist rehabilitation services following an accident, illness or injury resulting in a physical or cognitive disability for those who require specialist medical rehabilitation via doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dieticians, social workers and case managers.”
All these medical disciplines will occupy an entire wing of the village while the other wing will be occupied by Hermanus Elderly Care Place which offers a frail care facility with 20 private en-suite rooms and 17 double en-suite rooms on a rental basis, all with balconies or patios, air conditioning, offering DSTV and monitored with CCTV cameras. To be managed by Medipartners, a division of Spescare, the facility will include a residents’ lounge/dining room leading onto a patio.
Says Annenberg: “Notably, there are very few dedicated upmarket frail care facilities in the Western Cape, as generally they are an ‘add-on’ within a retirement development in order to attract buyers. By offering this option on a rental basis it makes frail care more easily accessible as and when required.”
Stanley Snyman, CEO of Spescare adds: “What makes this specific service offering unique is that permanent accommodation is offered within a private health establishment, giving the resident the peace of mind that their care and wellbeing is not only monitored by professional nursing staff, but they also have access to a multidisciplinary team of people including doctors, nurses and support staff”.
“The permanent accommodation at Hermanus Medical Village will cater for single residents as well as couples with en-suite living units.”
Annenberg Property Group has also developed St Stephen’s Cure Day Hospital, Oncology Centre and sub-acute facility in Skool Street in Northern Paarl as well as the successful, completed Panorama Healthcare Centre in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs, with Hermanus Medical Village being the group’s third foray into the market. During the course of next year (2017) two further such projects will be developed in other suburbs of the Western Cape.
Visit http://www.hermanusmedicalvillage.co.za